This invention relates generally to a ventilation system for toilets and more particularly to an enclosure which substantially surrounds the toilet bowl and exhausts foul air and odors from the bowl during use.
In the past, various systems have been proposed for ventilating foul air and odors from the bowl of a standard toilet, but those systems ordinarily require substantial structural modification of the seat or bowl of the toilet and installation of separate blower devices and ventilating ducts, often within the wall structure behind the toilet. Because of the complexity of these systems and the unsightly appearance resulting from their installation, to my knowledge none of those systems has been successfully commercialized.
Thus, a need remains for a ventilation system for a standard toilet which functions well, yet requires no substantial modification of the toilet. My invention, as described below, was developed to satisfy that need.
Accordingly, the primary object of my invention is to provide a novel enclosure for a toilet which substantially surrounds at least the toilet bowl and includes a ventilation system for exhausting foul odors from the bowl during use.
The objectives of the invention are accomplished by providing a self supporting decorative enclosure which includes a front seating section that substantially surrounds the bowl and a rear upright section that substantially encloses the tank of the toilet, the rear of the enclosure being open so that it may conveniently and easily slid from the front to the back of the toilet to enclose the front and sides of the toilet. An exhaust system is mounted within the enclosure and is activated by downward pressure on a seat placed on top of the front section of the enclosure to automatically draw foul air from the bowl of toilet. The air may be exhausted back into the room by way of an odor removing filter. The enclosure may be constructed in any decorative color and configuration and is readily placed around a standard toilet with virtually no modification of that standard toilet.
In operation, when a person sits on the seat of the front section, a pressure sensitive switch is activated to start an exhaust fan which may be vented through a filter on the side of the enclosure or may be directly vented to an area outside the room by way of suitable ducting. When the person rises from the seat, the exhaust fan continues to run for about one minute after the toilet is flushed to prevent the foul air from getting into the room.
These and other objectives will become apparent from reading the following detailed description of the invention wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings.